Prepayment cost

QrizB

Nav922 said:

If I post the meter index /reading here, will that help? 

Yes, post your current reading(s) and any previous ones (with the date of reading) and we can help you calculate whether your usage is as large as it seems.

Nav922

At the moment it reads “ 03141.258m3” 

Krakkkers

Will need a previous reading to work out usage.

Nav922

Don’t have any readings prior to this as don’t need to submit. When should I next take a note of the readings ? 

QrizB

Nav922 said:

Don’t have any readings prior to this as don’t need to submit. When should I next take a note of the readings ? 

The same time tomorrow will give us something to work with.

markin

Nav922 said:

At the moment it reads “ 03141.258m3” 

What date was the meter fitted, it should be labelled or at least stamped with a manufacture date.

If you log into the BS site will that not show past reading?

Scot_39

The current Ofgem cap average is £1834 - or roughly £153pm - but of course that could easily cover a spread sub £100 in summer to £250-300+ in winter.

And thats just an average.

With the readings - we can check m^3 to kWh to bill in £s - but in reality it's pretty difficult to relate one home / family use to another.

Do you have any additional historic info - paper bills, access to old bills / statements via online system at BG .

Have you checked the billed £280 figure is actual consumption - not based on a series of estimated readings ?

If you cannot see a reading on the IHD for gas - which talks to the electric meter as a rule - which is again normally the same device that the supplier relies on - for smart readings over the network ( and you indicate apparently until recently could not take readings to submit of of new meter ) - suggests you might be in a long running estimate situation - which can go either way - and never a good idea to let run for months let alone years.

PS - People have had all sorts of issues with billing following migration to BG new platform - including them failing to take smart readings over to new account for weeks / months - have you recently been moved over?

So get your most recent bill - for that £280 - and compare the readings on that for the reading you just supplied.

And if the bills are estimated - and not in fact smart - get into the habit of taking them - and submitting regularly - monthly right now might be a good idea - to establish a firm usage pattern.

No two homes - no 2 families - are going to be exactly equal - and whilst £280 pm just for gas seems a lot - it's really not a ludicrously silly number either.

As to the 4 hour point -

Gas boilers can be very powerful - that little white box can often exceed 20 kW in power on a daily basis for short periods (one UK suppliers standard domestic combi boler range is rated from 24-40kW at peak gas flow).  Radiator only and tank based HW systems (suspect more common in larger households) tend to be notably lower.

Now they probably won't use that peak very often if at all - but you could get some very high energy use regardless - in a very short time - whilst heating up the system on initial power up.

And as such 4 hours - can still equate to a lot of energy consumption - basically it costs more to raise the radiator water temp and then rooms - than it does to maintain it. Some users here have posted their 1/2 hrly meter data - 5-10kWh plus in first half hour not uncommon.

As to possible ways of reducing use

You mention the main thermostat (18.5 - what was it before ?)

what about room radiators - do they have own TRV's - have you adjusted them ?  (some posts here suggest 2-3 should match 15-18 degrees in rooms depending on type)

- do you keep any in unused area on lower settings with doors shut ?

boiler flow temperatature - did you take gov advice to turn it down to 60C if Combi etc ?

QrizB

Scot_39 said:

 get your most recent bill - for that £280 - and compare the readings on that for the reading you just supplied.

You might have missed it, but the OP is a prepayment customer and won't be receiving bills.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

Nav922 said:

If I post the meter index /reading here, will that help? 

are you now getting readings from smart meter or IHD?

QrizB said:

Scot_39 said:

 get your most recent bill - for that £280 - and compare the readings on that for the reading you just supplied.

You might have missed it, but the OP is a prepayment customer and won't be receiving bills.

do they not get annual statement or statement when price change?

Scot_39

QrizB said:

Scot_39 said:

 get your most recent bill - for that £280 - and compare the readings on that for the reading you just supplied.

You might have missed it, but the OP is a prepayment customer and won't be receiving bills.

Ok lost site of that - but even prepay from posts here have weird rules on debt and likes of emergency credit etc - so not always billed purely for just yesterdays or last weeks use etc. Or rather credited for full credit applied on account.

And with a smart - how do you track that credit you've bought actually appears ?

Don't they get any sort of running statement of consumption vs credit ?.

Technically some would say I don't get actual bills either on my annualised DD - but I do get monthly statements - showing that DD being applied and the total usage charges for past month.

Does it really all just hide in the meter ?